Tandem-spring draft-rigging for railway-cars.



PATENTED MAY 1 9. 1903;.

O...P-. STREET. TANDEM SPRING DRAFT RIGGING FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLIOATIOETFILIED AUG. 26' 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

n scams warms co. M-m'ouwo PATEN-TED' MAY 19, 1903.:

' c. P. STREET.

TANDEM SPRING DRAFT RIGGING FOR RAILWAY (JARS.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 26. 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 N0 IMO-DEL.

m: NoBms Pcrzns on, Pnomnjmqa, WASNINOYON o c UNITED STATES Patented May 19, 1903.

PATEN 'FFFICE.

TANDEM-SPRING DRAFT-RIGGINGFOR RAILWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N 0. 728,78 datedy 1903- Application filed August 26, 1902. Serial No. 121,085. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.- I

Be it known that I, CLEMENT F. STREET, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cleveland, Ohio, have invented certain Improveinentsin Tandem-Spring Draft-Rigging for Railway-Oars, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to so con struct tandem-spring draft-rigging for railway-cars as to simplify and c'heapen the same by reducing to a minimum the numberof parts employed therein, which parts are of simple construction and can be used interchangeably. Effective provision is also made for limiting the extent to which the springs can be compressed in order to prevent breakage of or injury to said springs due to excessive compression.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional plan view of tantlem-springdraftrigging forrailway-cars constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same on the line (0 a, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line b b, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the sill plates or housings of the device. Fig. 5is a perspective view of one of the spring-compressing plungers; and Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but illustrating a special construction of part of the draft-rigging.

In Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings the opposite center sills of a railway-car are represented at 1, these sills being shown as metal channel-bars, although it should be understood that my invention is equally applicable to cars having wooden sills. The opposite sill plates or housings of the draft-rigging.are shown at 2, these sill-plates being secured to the sills by rivets 3,suitably disposed, or, in the case of wooden housings, by transverse bolts or screws in any ordinary manner. Each of the sill-plates has a top flange i and near each end an inwardly projecting bearing flange or shoulder 5, suitably braced and stiffened by lugs 6, each of the sill-plates also having a detachable bottom bar 7, of wrought iron or steel, these bars being secured to the said bottom bars 7. The movable members of the draftrigging comprise the fore and aft springs 9 and 10, the fore and aft spring bearing-plates 11 and 12, and fore and aft springcompressingplungersl3and1et. Theforeand aft bearing-plates 11 and 12 are confined vertically between the top flanges 4 and bottom bars 7 of the opposite sill-plates 2 and normally bear, respectively, against the fore and aft flanges 5 of said housings, and each of the spring-compressing plungers 13 and 14 has at its inner end a pronged head 15, the prongs of one head fitting between and being movable longitudinally past the prongs of the other head, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The forward spring 9 surrounds the stem of the forward compressing-plunger 13 and is normally confined between the forward bearingplate 11 and the forward faces of the prongs 'of the rear plunger 14, and in like manner the rear spring 10 surrounds the rear plunger 14 and is confined between the rear bearing-plate 12 and the rear faces of the prongs, constituting the head of the forward plunger 13. The coupling-head 16 bears against the forward bearing-plate 11 and has the usual yoke 17, embracing the spring structure and having bearing against the rear bearing-plate 12 of the same, this yoke being rigidly secured to the coupling-head by means of bolts or rivets 1S. Buffing strains are therefore transmitted directly to the bearing-plate 11 and tend to force the same rearwardly, thereby compressing the forward spring 9 against the prongs of the rear compressing-plunger l4 and causing the prongs of the forward compressing-plunger 13 to compress the rearspring 10 against the rear bearing-plate 12, which has rigid bearing against the rear flanges 5 of the sill-plates. Draft strains upon the coupling effect reverse action, such strains being transmitted by the yoke 17 to the rear bearing-plate 12, which is thus caused to move forwardly, compressing the rear spring 10 against the prongs of the forward compressing-plunger 13 and causing the prongs of the rear plunger 14 to compress the forward spring 9 against the forward bearing-plate 11, which has rigid bearing against the forward flanges v 5 of the sill-plates. Excessive compression of the springs in either case may be prevented by contact of the inner ends of the compressing-plungers, as will be readily understood on reference to Figs. 1 and 2.

Each of the sill-plates 2 has centrally disposed thereupon an inwardly-projecting hollow lug or boss 19, these bosses serving as guides for the pronged heads of the springcompressing plungers, and thereby serving to maintain the latter and their surrounding springs in proper central posit-ion between the housings. In the present instanceI have shown each of the springs as of duplex construction, with outer heavy coil and inner lighter coil; but it will be evident that my invention can be employed in connection with single-coil springs or with any desired form of coiled-spring structure.

I have shown each of the spring-compressed plunger-s as provided with a three-pronged head; but four or more prongs can be employed, if desired, the object being to obtain as extended a hearing as possible upon the inner ends of the spring. I may in some cases also construct the plungers with stems independent of the beads, as shown, for instance,in'Fig. 6, in which case short sections of rolled rods or shafting 13 14 can he employed for the stems of the plungers, and each sill-plate may, if desired, consist of disconnected sections, one carrying the forward bearing-flange and the other the rear bearingfiange.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patcut- 1. Thecombinationintandem-springdraftrigging for railway-cars, of a coupler and its yoke, fore and aft springs, fore and aft spring bearing-plates, and fore and aft spring-compressing plnngers, each having a head with more than two prongs, the heads of the two plungers interlocking and their prongs having direct bearing upon their respective springs, substantially as specified.

2. Thecombinationintandem-springdraftrigging for railway-cars, of a coupler and its yoke, fore and aft springs, fore and aft spring bearing-plates, and fore and aft spring-coin pressing plungers each having a head with a plurality of prongs, the heads of the two plunger-s interlocking and their prongs having side bearing upon each other and direct end bearing upon their respective springs, substantially as specified.

3. Thecoinbinationin tandem-springdraftrigging for railway-cars, of the sill-plates having central projecting hollow lugs with curved inner faces, fore and aft springs, fore and aft spring bearing-plates, a coupler and its yoke, and fore and aft spring-compressing plungers having interlocking pronged' heads guided between the curved faces of the central projecting hollow lugs on the sill-plates, substantially as specified.

4. Thecombinationin tandein-springdraftrigging for railway-cars, of a coupler and its yoke, fore and aft springs, fore and aft spring bearing-plates, and fore and aft spring-compressing plungers each having a head separate from the plunger and provided with a plurality of prongs, the heads of the two plungers interlocking and their'prongs having direct end bearing upon their respective springs, substan tialiy as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CLEMENT F. STREET.

Witnesses:

NELSON R. FAIRLAMB, F. W. Roor. 

